Capuchin Monastery

Loretánské Square 6/99, Hradčany

The first monastery of Capuchin Order in Bohemia was built in 1600-1602 on plots of land donated by the nobility as part of the religious conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants; Capuchins, fiery preachers with a very modest way of life, were a powerful weapon of the Catholic side during the recatolization period. Quite extensive site is formed by a simple one-aisle church of Our Lady, storeyed monstery buildings which surround three courtyards and a garden. According to Order regulations, the Capuchins monks built the simple and undecorative late Renaissance monastery buildings themselves. The site was expanded in 1663-68 by an early Baroque farm buildings and between 1830´s and 1850´s a new convent wing was built in the peak Baroque style. Most rooms preserved their original joisted ceilings. The monastery is connected to the Loretto through a roofed suspension corridor on pillars.